Frank Reich impressed with Quenton Nelson's instincts

The Indianapolis Colts knew taking guard Quenton Nelson with their first-round pick would change the complexion of the offensive line for years to come and they haven’t been disappointed early on.

One of the things that impressed the Colts, along with the rest of the NFL, was Nelson’s instincts in the game. Through the spring workouts, everything they’ve seen on tape has shown up.

“You can see the instincts. You can see (when) we’re pulling and when we run some of our gap-scheme runs where he’s doing pulling,” said head coach Frank Reich. “One of the things on tape everybody said, ‘This guy is the best pulling guard, ever.’ You can see that, man. It just shows up all over the tape.”

Nelson is expected to be a lock for the starting lineup at left guard, sandwiching between left tackle Anthony Castonzo and center Ryan Kelly. The Colts are hoping that trio can begin to move the unit into improvement.

After allowing the most sacks in the NFL in 2017, the Colts made it a point to add depth and talent to the offensive line. That movement started with drafting Nelson with the No. 6 overall pick.

Even though Nelson was regarded as the top offensive line prospect in the draft, there is still development to be made.

“I think he’s had a couple vets like (Matt) Slauson really to kind of take him under his wing a little bit,” said Reich. “Even though he’s a great prospect and we’re really excited about him, he doesn’t have all the answers yet and there is a process of learning.”

The Colts are excited about the direction the offensive line is moving after adding Nelson to the unit and that excitement will only continue to grow when the pads come on in less than a month.

Email

Like this article?

Sign up for the Colts Wire email newsletter to get our top stories in your inbox every morning

An error has occured

Please re-enter your email address.

Thanks for signing up!

You'll now receive the top Colts Wire stories each day directly in your inbox.